The present invention is directed to apparatus for sensing data bits which are carried on a card.
Data and information have been stored on punched cards in the form of holes arranged in columns and rows, generally with a single punched hole in any one row.
Readers have been provided which employ a mechanical probe to detect the presence of holes on a card. The mechanical probes enter through the hole to complete an electrical circuit physically. Such a procedure is slow and can damage the card.
Photoelectric sensors have been employed in place of the mechanical probes, but the card has still been subjected to a friction-based transport past the sensors which can damage the card. Card readers have also provided a method for reading a card without moving the card, but this required a large matrix of photsensitive devices. Card readers in the past required a certain dexterity in inserting and removing the card to avoid an error in the reading of the card. Furthermore, prior art readers did not allow a card owner to retain possession of a card during the reading procedure.
Thus, there is a need for a card reader which can quickly read a card with no chance of damage to the card; which will allow an untrained card owner, with a minimal degree of dexterity, to submit a card to a reading procedure during which the card owner can retain possession of the card; which can detect any possible error by the card owner-operator; and which requires but a simple array of sensor elements.